Postseason Scheduling Hurting Dual Athletes

SPORTS LAKE SPORTS

Tawnya Contris of Eustis and Kelly Young of Umatilla learned they could relax a little more Thursday, knowing they won't have to make a choice between postseason softball and track competition.

Both of these outstanding young women, both of whom are underclassmen, are dual sport athletes.

And for a while it appeared the two might have to make a choice or perhaps find some swift means of transportation when the date of the Class AA, District 5 track championships were in limbo.

Mount Dora Coach Vern Eppinette had scheduled the meet for Saturday at Showalter Field in Winter Park. This district always had held its meet on Saturday.

But for some reason the Florida High School Activities Association was questioning the time slot reserved by Eppinette. After several phone calls by the right people, the FHSAA finally decided that it would be fine for the Class AA, District 5 meet to be held as first scheduled: on Saturday.

Thus comes in Contris and Young.

Both of these athletes are involved in the Class AA, District 10 softball tournaments. Each plays shortstop for their high school teams.

Actually the problem of competing in track may have been a lot tougher on Contris than Young. And for several reasons.

First off, the Umatilla girls softball team, which is especially young, wasn't expected to reach today's 4:30 p.m. championship game. If all went as expected, Young would have no problem had the track meet been changed to today.

Contris' problem was actually two-fold. Here she is, one of the state's premier shot and discus performers and facing the problem of perhaps not being able to qualify for the state meet.

And the reason for her thinking is the Eustis girls softball team, which got off to a 8-0 start, is considered one of the favorites in the district tournament.

Had the Panthers made it to today's final, and the track meet been scheduled today it would have been next to impossible for Contris to compete in both sports. The only alternative might have been for the Panthers softball team to start without her.

In the shot and discus, an athlete can take part in the preliminaries and have their first effort stand all the way through. Contris could have conceivably gone to Winter Park, thrown one time in the shot and discus, and then hurried to Umatilla for the softball tournament.

It would have made for quite a hectic day. But that no longer is a problem for Contris and Young.

All of this is to point up what needs to be a little better planning and perhaps a little more leeway by the FHSAA when the scheduling of events such as this takes place. This is especially true in the smaller schools where athletic teams so often share athletes. And perhaps more athletes in tennis, golf, baseball and softball would be willing to run track if they knew it wouldn't hinder their plans to play in postseason in their favorite sports.

This week could bring to an end one of the more brilliant high school athletic careers ever seen in Lake County.

Kim Ferguson, an outstanding student-athlete at Eustis High School, is playing in the Class AA, District 10 girls softball tournament and her Panthers were scheduled to play Bishop Moore Thursday in a tournament semifinal. If the Panthers defeated Bishop Moore they would be playing in the title game today at Umatilla.

When we say that this is a brilliant high school athletic career, we mean athletics is just a part of it. Folks, we are not just talking athletics here. The athletic portion of Ferguson's stay at Eustis could end this week. But the equally brilliant scholastic portion of her high school life will have a few more weeks before her prep career is completed.

If someone ever decides to develop the maximum standards for high school performance - both scholastically and athletically - they just might save themselves some time and look at the high school resume' of Ferguson.

But, then again, the performance of Ferguson may be just a little too much for many of even the top student-athletes.

Ferguson has played three sports in a most brilliant manner, and that has been topped only by her performance in the classroom. All of that earned her a grant-in-aid to Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton.

She has been all-Lake County in volleyball, basketball and softball. Her role of outstanding athletic performer is complimented by her being an equally strong team leader.

She's the ultimate role model for any middle schooler who wishes to pursue the dual high school career of student and athlete.